Tuesday, March 15, 2011

KMHD Portland is one of the few remaining independent jazz stations in the country. Listen to them online (or download their app), and you won't be disappointed. This week, Count Basie is in the spotlight. Since it's public broadcasting, you won't just hear the music- you'll hear stories like I heard today, about how Basie was discovered.

My favorite show, hands down, is Lynn Darroch's Bright Moments on Friday afternoons. Lynn interviews jazz greats and plays his favorite picks and best of all, does his own spoken word, accompanied by visiting artists. Spoken word, you might scoff, I've heard that before and wasn't unduly impressed.

But Lynn Darroch's spoken word is different- it transports us back to another time and place, derived from Lynn's own memories about growing up in Portland. My only complaint? He isn't on the air enough and when he is on, he doesn't do enough of his own work.